How much of the time did they spend talking about LA's lack of offense?

Talking with Rafael Furcal before BP, he indicated that he's feeling better and doing the always exciting "baseball activities" like hitting and throwing, but didn't seem to give the impression he'd be back right away.  Whenever Furcal was asked about a potential return time, he just shrugged.  "I don't know," Furcal said.  "You can't control your body.  I don't want to take a step back.  When I come back, I want to play the whole year."

This isn't a matter of a guy unwilling to play through some soreness.  Remember, Furcal played the entire 2007 season on a bad ankle.  He's clearly itching to get back on the field, and obviously frustrated that it's taken as long as it has.  Furcal did say that at this point, it's likely that he'll need a few games in the minors on a rehab assignment, something he'd been hoping to avoid.  Joe Torre definitely agreed it would be needed.  "I'm guessing that's a given right now," he said.

Furcal's absence from the lineup has been a dominant theme for the Dodgers of late, as they continue to struggle (you got the memo, right?) scoring runs (though they should be congratulated for doing everything they can to dispel the notion that pitching in today's game is a lost art).  "There are certain guys that certainly get your attention when you lose them," Torre said.  "There's no question that he would be one of those players here. Not only the offensive side, but sitting in the middle of the diamond."  But seriously, should losing one guy in the lineup suddenly make an entire team inert?  "No.  You still should be able to find a way to (win), and we haven't been able to do that, unfortunately."

Torre rightly pointed out that the starting pitching was pretty good on the trip.  They had some winnable games lost from the bullpen, and plenty of wasted performances.  But like I wrote a couple days back, there is going to be error from the pitching staff from time to time, and the Dodgers aren't providing any margin for it offensively.  It's not simply a question of lack of power.  Forget home runs, the Dodgers aren't hitting doubles, either. 

"The pitchers have been under a great deal of pressure trying to keep the games close," Torre said (rather charitably, I might add).

No real news on Jason Schmidt beyond what was reported this morning, but the whole rehab process made for some interesting conversation.  Listen here: Download torre_on_schmidt_6.2.mp3

Also some words on Andy LaRoche's play at second base in the minors.  Torre said the Dodgers are looking for flexibility (and offense), and by having LaRoche available there, it could give the Dodgers some.  He can play first and third as well, and perhaps even a little outfield.  Hey, he did it once last year.  Why not again?  Torre said Blake DeWitt would also be more than happy to fill in at second.  When you're a rookie, you're more than happy to fill in anywhere as long as it's in the Majors.  That and more here: Download torre_on_laroche_6.2.mp3

LINEUPS:

Dodgers-

Juan Pierre- LF
Matt Kemp- CF
Andre Ethier- RF
Jeff Kent- 2B
James Loney- 1B
Blake DeWitt- 3B
Danny Ardoin- C
Chin-lung Hu- SS
Derek Lowe- P

Rockies-

Willy Taveras- CF
Seth Smith- RF
Ryan Spilbourghs- LF
Todd Helton- 1B
Garrett Atkins- 3B
Ian Stewart- 2B
Yorvit Torrealba- C
Omar Quintanilla- SS
Greg Reynolds- P

Remember, live blog tonight!

BK